Yesterday, as you are all no doubt aware, was the fifth of May. And as you may be also aware if you live in a place with a big Mexican population, or just happen to have a bar nearby hoping to cash in on the one day when everyone drinks Coronas and margaritas, yesterday was the celebration of Cinco de Mayo.
I did the Cinco de Mayo history lesson last year. Also last year, I had a dinner party to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. I thought about doing it again this year, but then it occurred to me that 75% of the guests who came last year now have infants or toddlers. This is something of a logistical problem for me, as I do not believe the under-two set are really down with swilling margaritas. So I punked out on hosting the party, but OF COURSE I made a Cinco de Mayo dinner last night. And my sister helped, by sitting in the kitchen while I made salsa* and drinking wine with me while we ate chips and guacamole. She also made the guacamole.
Now. Let's talk about that guacamole, because this is the love affair to which my post title refers. I LOVE avocados. LOVE love them. I will eat them on sandwiches, mashed up in dips, in salads, and plain. Yes, I will eat a whole plain avocado, just standing over the sink and slurping it out of the skin, smearing green goo all over my hands and face and generally making a big, nasty mess of myself.
It's very attractive, yes.
BUT ANYWAY.
This is an illicit love affair, because I can't grow avocados here. And yet, I feel very guilty buying produce, because we grow so much of our own, ya know. But I love avocados so much, I occasionally ignore my guilt and buy them anyway. Luckily, I was raised Catholic, and so I am no stranger to living with guilt.
I feel I may need to say 20 Hail Marys and an Our Father in penance, but that guacamole? SO WORTH IT.
Amen.
* Believe it or not, ALL of the jars of salsa (21 pints, to be specific) I made last summer are gone. Boo. Not to worry, though. I still have about 20 quarts of canned tomatoes, which just happen to be the main ingredient in salsa. We'll be okay.
I used to take a avocados to work and just split them, a little salt and call it lunch.
ReplyDeleteI made 3 cases of salsa, I have 12 pints left.
Yum here too, to avocados. My parents got me eating them when we were at home. Slice 'em on a thin sliced turkey sandwich with butter spread on the bread, oh my gosh. I now smash them up and add just a tad of lemon juice and mayo to make a light fluffy concoction. I eat it off a spoon like a salad or dip chips in it....since the hubby doesn't do avocado, I get it all to myself.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe you weren't doing beer with the salsa/chips and doing wine instead?
I don't like beer. I haven't really drunk beer since college. Mixed drinks or wine for me, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI think we're having an affair with the same food! ;) Mr. B and I are big avocado junkies, and he'll usually inhale guacamole to the point where if I don't use at least 5 avocados then I don't get any!
ReplyDeleteCan you share your salsa recipe with me?
ReplyDeleteOh yes. I have a love affair with avocados that dare not speak its name.
ReplyDeleteI find no shame in eating one from its skin with a spoon after being covered in salt and lemon juice.
OH HEAVENS.
I will not remind you that in sunny CA, many folks have avocado trees from which you can pick your own to enjoy. I will also not tell you that I'm currently scouting the neighborhood trees for such things while I walk the dog.
Hi. My name's Thppppt and I have a thing for avocadoes.
ReplyDeleteMy thing is I'm a purist. I don't like guacs that are mucked up with stupid useless ingrediants. It's OFFENSIVE. The simplest ingrediants let the glory of the guac shine through:
gut three almost-overripe avocados into a bowl.
In a different bowl, using a fork, mash up 2pulped garlic cloves with a little salt and a squeeze of lime juice.
Put a little of the garlic mix over the avos and barely mix. Taste. Keep adding the garlic mix until there's just enough garlic, salt, or lime. Then add enough of the other two to make it sing.
The tastes should be: bright with limes, sharp with garlic while salty, and then a deep avo bass note that lasts.
There is so much I relate to in this post.
ReplyDeleteI love avocados and make a general pig of myself whenever possible.
The only time I don't feel guilty buying them is when they are on sale for 99¢.
I was also raised Catholic and can live with guilty if I can't wait for a sale.
MariaV
When we lived in Florida, we were apalled by the lack of Haas avocados. I am no fan of the Florida avocado. We actually bought and planted a Haas tree....and then the year it actually gave more than two fruits was the year we moved. Pfft. I was tempted to dig up the tree and take it with me.
ReplyDeleteYou ate all of the salsa? Wow, that is great. 21 pints is a whole lot of salsa.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and I both love eating them over the sink! Yummo!
ReplyDeleteWhat I can relate to is the not liking beer. I never developed a taste for it, even in college when it was practically the only thing I could afford.
ReplyDeleteI often credit our garden with ruining my life. I can't look at produce the same way now. Non-local produce? A travesty. (I make Chris buy the avocados so he has to deal with the guilt, not me).
ReplyDelete